It has been a long six years since the last batch of Zelda reviews completely rocked the gaming world. 2017's release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild resulted in a title that, just this week, was announced by a series of industry experts as being the very best game ever made.
Jump to this week, and the highly anticipated release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has games the world over wondering if we've got a new Best Game Ever on our hands.
You'll be happy to hear that the first reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with a sliiiiight deviation from the nearly universal adoration that the previous game received.
Here are some of the early Zelda reviews from some of the world's biggest outlets:
The Guardian - "Occasionally a game comes along that makes you look at life in a whole new way. This glorious, hilarious, utterly absorbing Zelda instalment is one of them. 5 out of 5."
Esquire - "If you couldn't tell by now, gamers, Tears of the Kingdom is another masterpiece. 2023's Game of the Year? Most likely. One of the greatest video games of all time? I'll let the Internet go crazy over that one."
IGN - "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a masterclass in open-world design and a watershed game that reinvents a 30-year-old franchise. 10 out of 10."
Nintendo Life - "It’s a glorious, triumphant sequel to one of the best video games of all time; absolute unfiltered bliss to lose yourself in for hundreds of hours. We can’t wait to see what the world will do with the game. 10 out of 10."
But there are also some outlets that have figured it to be less of a masterclass in breaking new ground (as Breath of the Wild was), and more of the same. Which isn't necessarily a BAD thing, but maybe not the game changer they were expecting:
Eurogamer - "A terrific Breath of the Wild follow-up with some brilliant new systems, amazing views and more dungeon-type spaces, plus a slightly deadening emphasis on gathering resources."
Engadget - "It's a remix more than a reinvention, but Link's new powers unlock a ton of creative potential."
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch from tomorrow (Friday, 12 May).
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